This past Saturday I took my 81 year old dad to the doctor. By Monday he was in the hospital. Over the next several months I want to pack his time with the things he loves the most. that means.... kites.When I was growing up my dad would teach a kite class at the library every spring. When I went away to college in Maryland, there was a kite store in downtown Annapolis. I wrote my dad and asked for a kite. The store sent me a Chesapeake Flyer. It was a great ice-breaker at afternoon picnics for this freshman.

The internet is making it possible to gather like-minded people and celebrate kiting (is that even a word?)

lbugg20 wrote:This past Saturday I took my 81 year old dad to the doctor. By Monday he was in the hospital.

Been there twice this year with my 85 yo father, plus another trip to the ER.

Hope your father gets well, and you can bring him out to fly kites with you. If you are looking to take him to a kite festival, the IKE calendar is linked from the "Quick links" menu (upper left on the forum screen, below the logo).

Quite a few of us will be up in Two Rivers, WI for the Kites Over Lake Michigan festival Labor Day weekend. After that, there are additional festivals relatively nearby in Milwaukee and Dekalb over the next few weeks in September. Our next big kite flying weekend is the 23rd - 24th, for the IKE retreat at the Indiana Dunes.

That said, if you want to get someone to fly some kites with your dad, you can post where/when you plan to fly and there's always a chance someone from the Chicago area might be able to join you. Some of us fly occasionally at the St. Charles East Side Sports complex, but we haven't gotten together for a club fly in a while. That's not too far from Aurora. Maybe we could have a club fly there some day.

Hey - new from Aurora - just a quick reminder. The IKE retreat is coming up September 23-24 at the Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton, IN. Many of us will be there flying kites (weather permitting) and hanging out. It would be great to see you there.